The Kindle - a Review!
Posted: 17 Jan 2012, 08:34
Been meaning to do this for some time!
While not an actual book, I thought it would be worthwhile reviewing the Kindle.
I first got one when I was travelling a lot a round a year ago, and admit to be being a bit wary at first. Now firmly hooked however!
Firstly all the reasons to get a Kindle……..
a) The Kindle is not just an e-reader – it uses Amazons ink technology and the actual “feel†and appearance of the
device is pretty similar to paper. You can read it easily outdoors in the sun without reflections.
b) It uses special fonts – designed to aid reading. I have actually found that I read 20 to 30% faster, and reading is
actually a pleasure……
c) It is portable and a nice size.
d) There are eight adjustable font sizes.
e) Fast Page Turns.
f) Rotate Between Portrait and Landscape Mode.
g) Show real Page Numbers if you want.
h) Support for Non-Latin Characters.
i) Full Image Zoom
j) Communication is rapid and downloading of books, even monstrosities, very fast.
k) There are a huge number of books available, many hard to find or unavailable in hardcopy. Many are also unique to
the Kindle – including an increasing number of railway books.
l) There are a large number of free books.
m) Books are cheaper than hardcopy. Classics and collections are often dirt cheap. A complete collection of Rudyard
Kipling cost me 3 USD. A complete collection of Thomas Hardy - - 2 USD.
n) The latest books are available fast.
o) The system allows you to download a free sample of any book you are interested in. This is at least the first chapter.
In practise I have now download a huge number of samples and when I finish a book I then decide what genre I feel
like, choose a sample and start reading. Once I have read to the end if I am hooked I just press “Buy†and 30 secs
have the book and can carry on reading. Easy!
p) You can organise the books into collections, annotate them and insert bookmarks etc.
q) You can store a huge number of books – 3,500 enough?! Once you have bought a book it is yours and your books
purchased are always available for download in the future – say of you delete them or buy a new device.
r) You can upload PDFs and other docs if you want. You and your approved contacts can e-mail documents – including
Word - directly to your Kindle and read them in Kindle format. Your personal documents will be stored in your Kindle
library on Amazon and ready to download conveniently anywhere at any time. You can add notes, highlights and
bookmarks, which are automatically synchronized across.
s) You can surf the Internet if you want – though the interface is a bit clumsy it does in an emergency.
t) There are feature like a build-in dictionary – hover over a word and you get the definition.
u) You can store music on it.
v) It has a text to speech feature and will read books to you (in a computer voice) if you are lazy.
w) Battery life is up to 2 MONTHS if just reaching.
x) Charging is done from the mains or USB.
It really is a no boner – I use it now for all my fiction books (still buy hardcopy non-fiction for the illustrations and pictures).
So which device to buy?
For us in this part of the world there is currently really only one choice, and that is the Kindle Keyboard with WiFi and 3G. The key here is the 3G, since travelling around Africa, WiFi is still in its infancy, or a pain tp access or expensive (in hotels etc).
Travelling in Europe can also be an issue sometimes as well – but WiFi is there and free and in general if I lived there this is probably the option to go for.
Note a couple of things about this model…
a) It has global 3g which is FREE. Yes, FREE! There is no wireless setup—you are ready to shop and read right out of the box.
b) Pages are turned using “buttons†on either side. Great in fact. Have tried a touch screen and prefer the button
version as the screen then stays clean. It is also easier to read in bed or with one hand.
c) Weighs 275 grams.
d) Buy it with its cover – this offer real protection and helps simulate the “book†feel. For a bit bit more you can buy
the cover with the built in light (powered of the Kindle itself).
So now I have convinced you, where to buy and how to buy?
Easiest IF YOU ARE IN SOUTH AFRICA is from Amazon.com, not Amazon.co.uk. As an international; customer you have to set up an account on Amazon Com as this is where you will also buy your books from. You also can only buy the Kindle from Amazon Com if you Internet purchase.
Buying from Amazon.com is the cheapest option other than physically buying the Kindle in the USA or Europe - prices there are controlled. Cost is the equivalent of 150 GBP for the Kindle and 50 GBP for the cover with light (39 without). It may look expensive, but it actually is not given the price of books now and the savings you will get on the cheaper e-books.
Buy this route and they courier it in and it is WAY CHEAPER than a purchase on South Africa. Do your sums!
Otherwise buy it when you are overseas – no duty free advantage in airports, but Dixons in Heathrow is convenient. Electronic High Street Stores in the UK. In Europe a bit hard – but electronic stores again – the bigger ones. Do not expect often to find it at airports.
One tip – when using the Kindle, especially with reference books, or collections, it is important that what you have has been indexed for electronic use properly. If not you cannot get around easily. The reason is that e-version of say a collection of books is really one huge book- within this are the separate books. To get around therefore it needs t be indexed and life is then very easy.
Free books are often NOT indexed, so a pay a bit more and get an indexed book! Download the sample is buying a complex book (like a bible) or collection and use this to see how good the indexing is before buying.
Enjoy!
Lastly do not confuse the Kindle with I-Pads etc - I-pads with Kindle readers or book reader apps are not the same thing – the key to the uniqueness of the Kindle is in the ink technology and book handling. Chalk and cheese. Having a Kindle does not prevent you having an I-Pad – and visa versa. I have both and both have their uses.
While not an actual book, I thought it would be worthwhile reviewing the Kindle.
I first got one when I was travelling a lot a round a year ago, and admit to be being a bit wary at first. Now firmly hooked however!
Firstly all the reasons to get a Kindle……..
a) The Kindle is not just an e-reader – it uses Amazons ink technology and the actual “feel†and appearance of the
device is pretty similar to paper. You can read it easily outdoors in the sun without reflections.
b) It uses special fonts – designed to aid reading. I have actually found that I read 20 to 30% faster, and reading is
actually a pleasure……
c) It is portable and a nice size.
d) There are eight adjustable font sizes.
e) Fast Page Turns.
f) Rotate Between Portrait and Landscape Mode.
g) Show real Page Numbers if you want.
h) Support for Non-Latin Characters.
i) Full Image Zoom
j) Communication is rapid and downloading of books, even monstrosities, very fast.
k) There are a huge number of books available, many hard to find or unavailable in hardcopy. Many are also unique to
the Kindle – including an increasing number of railway books.
l) There are a large number of free books.
m) Books are cheaper than hardcopy. Classics and collections are often dirt cheap. A complete collection of Rudyard
Kipling cost me 3 USD. A complete collection of Thomas Hardy - - 2 USD.
n) The latest books are available fast.
o) The system allows you to download a free sample of any book you are interested in. This is at least the first chapter.
In practise I have now download a huge number of samples and when I finish a book I then decide what genre I feel
like, choose a sample and start reading. Once I have read to the end if I am hooked I just press “Buy†and 30 secs
have the book and can carry on reading. Easy!
p) You can organise the books into collections, annotate them and insert bookmarks etc.
q) You can store a huge number of books – 3,500 enough?! Once you have bought a book it is yours and your books
purchased are always available for download in the future – say of you delete them or buy a new device.
r) You can upload PDFs and other docs if you want. You and your approved contacts can e-mail documents – including
Word - directly to your Kindle and read them in Kindle format. Your personal documents will be stored in your Kindle
library on Amazon and ready to download conveniently anywhere at any time. You can add notes, highlights and
bookmarks, which are automatically synchronized across.
s) You can surf the Internet if you want – though the interface is a bit clumsy it does in an emergency.
t) There are feature like a build-in dictionary – hover over a word and you get the definition.
u) You can store music on it.
v) It has a text to speech feature and will read books to you (in a computer voice) if you are lazy.
w) Battery life is up to 2 MONTHS if just reaching.
x) Charging is done from the mains or USB.
It really is a no boner – I use it now for all my fiction books (still buy hardcopy non-fiction for the illustrations and pictures).
So which device to buy?
For us in this part of the world there is currently really only one choice, and that is the Kindle Keyboard with WiFi and 3G. The key here is the 3G, since travelling around Africa, WiFi is still in its infancy, or a pain tp access or expensive (in hotels etc).
Travelling in Europe can also be an issue sometimes as well – but WiFi is there and free and in general if I lived there this is probably the option to go for.
Note a couple of things about this model…
a) It has global 3g which is FREE. Yes, FREE! There is no wireless setup—you are ready to shop and read right out of the box.
b) Pages are turned using “buttons†on either side. Great in fact. Have tried a touch screen and prefer the button
version as the screen then stays clean. It is also easier to read in bed or with one hand.
c) Weighs 275 grams.
d) Buy it with its cover – this offer real protection and helps simulate the “book†feel. For a bit bit more you can buy
the cover with the built in light (powered of the Kindle itself).
So now I have convinced you, where to buy and how to buy?
Easiest IF YOU ARE IN SOUTH AFRICA is from Amazon.com, not Amazon.co.uk. As an international; customer you have to set up an account on Amazon Com as this is where you will also buy your books from. You also can only buy the Kindle from Amazon Com if you Internet purchase.
Buying from Amazon.com is the cheapest option other than physically buying the Kindle in the USA or Europe - prices there are controlled. Cost is the equivalent of 150 GBP for the Kindle and 50 GBP for the cover with light (39 without). It may look expensive, but it actually is not given the price of books now and the savings you will get on the cheaper e-books.
Buy this route and they courier it in and it is WAY CHEAPER than a purchase on South Africa. Do your sums!
Otherwise buy it when you are overseas – no duty free advantage in airports, but Dixons in Heathrow is convenient. Electronic High Street Stores in the UK. In Europe a bit hard – but electronic stores again – the bigger ones. Do not expect often to find it at airports.
One tip – when using the Kindle, especially with reference books, or collections, it is important that what you have has been indexed for electronic use properly. If not you cannot get around easily. The reason is that e-version of say a collection of books is really one huge book- within this are the separate books. To get around therefore it needs t be indexed and life is then very easy.
Free books are often NOT indexed, so a pay a bit more and get an indexed book! Download the sample is buying a complex book (like a bible) or collection and use this to see how good the indexing is before buying.
Enjoy!
Lastly do not confuse the Kindle with I-Pads etc - I-pads with Kindle readers or book reader apps are not the same thing – the key to the uniqueness of the Kindle is in the ink technology and book handling. Chalk and cheese. Having a Kindle does not prevent you having an I-Pad – and visa versa. I have both and both have their uses.